Monday, December 12, 2016

This Christmas I'm Not Buying Any....

Photo credit: ArtsyBee via Pixabay.com

...Christmas Craft Materials

I've already got enough yarn, fabric, card-making supplies and other Christmas craft materials to last me for at least 3 years, if not longer. So, I've decided I won't buy any new materials for my Christmas projects this year. I'll use up as many of my materials as I can.

...Christmas Gift Tags

I've made my own Christmas gift tags for the past few years and have already made more than enough for this year by upcycling Christmas cards.

...Christmas Cards (well, except for 2)

My Christmas cards are either hand-made or selected from a box of unused Christmas cards that I've bought in recent years. I also send Christmas e-cards.

This year, I bought just 2 new Christmas cards, which expressed the exact sentiments I wanted to send to the recipients.

Last year, I didn't buy any Christmas Decorations

I decided that we'd make do with the decorations we already had. This year, I've bought a few cute hand-crafted decorations from small local businesses.

Reasons to Decide Not to Buy Something This Christmas

It stops you from wasting money on things you don't really need. If you've set an intention not to buy anything from a certain category of Christmas items, you'll make do with what you already have and be able to spend more of your budget in other areas, such as food and presents.

It helps put the brakes on when you're tempted to get carried away by the Christmas atmosphere and spend money on things that look nice.

It encourages you to be mindful when shopping and think twice before buying something.

It enables you to be grateful for what you already have and make good use of everything that's already stored in your home.

It reduces the clutter in your home and you'll need less storage space to store your Christmas items once January has arrived.

Do you decide not to buy items in certain categories? Do you have any tips or tricks for not buying Christmas trappings you don't really need?